Not Seasonally Adjusted

     Exhibit 2b. U.S. Imports For Consumption of Stainless Steel Products:
                                (Census Basis)

              Quantity in metric tons/value In thousands of dollars.
                  Details may not equal totals due to rounding.

                                       May 2001                May 2000
                                     Cumulative To           Cumulative To
                                     Date - Final            Date - Final
     Commodity                                           
     Grouping                       Quantity     Value      Quantity     Value
                                             
Total Selected Commodities          361,500     712,249     509,828     989,452

Ingots And Steel For Castings         8,813      11,466       5,677       7,930
Blooms, Billets And Slabs           104,403     117,015     135,069     183,336
Wire Rods                            23,375      43,675      33,267      57,630
Structural Shapes Heavy               1,060       3,177       4,267       9,004
Plates Cut Lengths                   14,869      27,499      21,081      40,962
Plates In Coils                       5,772       9,015      21,512      31,797
Bars - Hot Rolled                    12,119      27,132      13,602      30,576
Bars - Light Shaped                   3,537       7,936       4,875       9,467
Bars - Cold Finished                 37,533      95,889      40,188      91,450
Stainless Pipe & Tubing              32,104     128,502      37,992     131,013
Wire Drawn                           12,620      45,692      11,854      42,500
Sheets Hot Rolled                     5,935       8,136      15,644      22,152
Sheets Cold Rolled                   87,841     147,240     147,760     277,695
Strip - Hot Rolled                      418         773       1,267       2,240
Strip - Cold Rolled                  11,100      39,101      15,773      51,700

CONTACT: For more information, contact Haydn R. Mearkle (301-457-2246) or Nick
         Orsini (301-457-2311), Foreign Trade Division, U. S. Census Bureau.

NOTE:  For information on more detailed data available, please see record
       titled "MORE DETAILED FOREIGN TRADE DATA  AVAILABLE."